Tag: Japanese Art Deco

Japanese Art Deco sounds like an oxymoron. Rightly or wrongly, we — we Americans, that is — are likely to envision the Japanese in the 1920s and ’30s as almost entirely focused on militarism and expansionism. Yet, as an exhibition at Japan Society proves, there were more than enough time and resources in that era for Japanese artists, designers and consumers to cultivate their own version of Art Deco, that excruciatingly suave Western style of art, design and décor.

This beautiful and sociologically intriguing show, “Deco Japan: Shaping Art and Culture, 1920-1945” displays about 200 objects, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, glassware, jewelry, fashion and printed ephemera, all from the collection of Robert and Mary Levenson of Clearwater, Fla.